With its kitchen team led by chefs Carl Heinrich and Ryan Donovan and its location on trendy Wellington it goes without saying that Marben is a restaurant where people-watching and serious eating coincide.

Patio fun observed from inside.

The raucous crowd that packed Marben’s front patio and spilled inside to the air-conditioned inside bar was treated to oysters and selections of the appetisers that the kitchen can produce.

Both the oldest and the second most-memorable wines I’ve tasted were bordelaise. And while I think there is a strong impression that they have the super-duper-premium market locked down (especially in China) it’s nice to try some of the wines from Bordeaux that are available for less than $15 at the LCBO.

For the two whites we tried the Chateau Fayau Blanc 2009 (205542 $11.95) was cold and crisp and the 2010 Mouton Cadet (2527 $13.45) had interesting notes of melon and peach and was my favourite of the four from the event. The reds from Calvet (44032 $13.95) and Château Courteillac (360552 $11.95) were both smooth-drinking with muted tannins and showed a hint of dark fruit on the nose.

Telling your Haut-Medoc from your Cerons.

Thankfully the organisers provided some of their fold-able maps of Bordeaux’s many sub-appellations. (I’m told that though nice, the Cadillac sub-appellation of Bordeaux does not in fact produce the cadillac of wines–the Premier Grand Cru wines are made in Pauillac, Margaux, and Pessac-Leognan). It’s becoming easier to tell more about a bordelaise wine based on the label as producers are starting to include varietal but it is still helpful to have this guide to interpreting one of the world’s most diverse wine regions.

The Bordeaux Wine Council and iYellow Wine Club are collaborating on two more of these events on September 20th and October 25th.